  
KiteSURFING HOLIDAYS IN MOROCCO (NORTHERN AFRICA)
Travel & Transport info - THE KINGDOM OF Morocco
al-Mamlaka al-Maghrebia, المملكة المغربية , Marokko, Maroc, Marokkó, Marocco, Marrocos, Marruecos or Marocko
Quick Links:
Getting to Morocco: International Flights | Morocco by Ferry
Getting around in Morocco: The Trains | Bus | Taxis | Car Hire | Own car
Other: Tips for US citizens on flying to Morocco | Carbon neutral flights
Morocco by Plane - INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES
Morocco has three main international airports: Casablanca, Tangier and Agadir.
However there are various possibilities/options available. You can also fly direct to Fes, Marrakech and Oujda from Paris, Amsterdam, Berlin and other European cities. Most long distance flights, however will arrive in Casablanca. It's a modern airport with plenty of transport options to take you in to the center of town or to other destinations in Morocco.
CHEAPEST AIRFARES TO MOROCCO |
This is probably all the info on flights to Morocco you'll ever need:
Looking for information on cheap flights to Morocco from your part of the world? Checkout the TrioTours website: AFRICA FAQ's |
Most major European airlines fly to into Morocco including:
British Airways | Lufthansa | KLM | Air France | Alitalia | Sabena | Swissair
There are also several budget and charter airlines operating from Europe to Morocco including: Atlas Blue www.atlas-blue.com
If you want to fly direct from the US to Morocco your only option is:
Royal Air Moroc www.royalairmaroc.com which has daily flights between New York and Casablanca.
Prices vary immensely from place to place, and somewhat from air carrier to air carrier. The best prices are from Great Britain, the Netherlands, and Paris. The cheapest charter flights are often found in Scandinavia, but these are normally limited to Agadir during winter time.
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Morocco by Ferry
There are several car and passenger ferry services which offer routes between Spain, Gibraltar, France and Italy to Morocco.
Quick Links: Ferries from: Spain | France | Gibraltar | Italy
Ferry from Spain
The most popular ferry crossing from Spain to Morocco is from Algeciras (Spain) to Tangier (Morocco). There are plenty of options available and a regular ferry or highspeed ferry go almost every hour, year round. Although there are several companies running the ferries, all tickets are valid for all companies, so you can hop on to the first vessel you like the look of.
Another popular route is from Algeciras (Spain) to Ceuta, (Spanish Morocco). High-speed ferries cross the Straits of Gibraltar in just over half an hour. Ceuta is a great place to arrive if you're taking your own car. It is quieter than Tangier, gas is cheaper as it's a duty-free zone and Cueta offers a mellower entrance into the hustle and bustle of Morocco.
If you're relying on public transport, then Tangier is the best option since it has better connections to the rest of Morocco.
Ferries from Almeria and Malaga (Spain) to Melilla (Spanish Morocco) go almost every day and take about 6-9 hours. Ferries are more frequent between Almeria (Spain) and Nador (Morocco) where you can catch a bus to most major cities within Morocco. The trip takes about 6 hours. You can also get to Tangier (Morocco) from Tarifa (Spain) on a high-speed ferry.
More information here: Ferry Spain to Morocco.
More information here: Ferry Canary Islands to Morocco.
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Ferry from FRANCE
Not cheap, but a real experience is the connection between Sète (France), and Tangier or Nador (Morocco). Prices start at around £120 per person one way, or £210 and upwards for a return ticket. The journey takes around 3 days (35 and 40 hours). If you bring a car expect to pay £150 and upwards, one way.
Ferries go all year round and the ferries have restaurants, nightclubs, beds and shops on board. During the summer months (June to September) services are also available from Sete (France) to Nador (Morocco) and from Port Vendres (France) to Tangier (Morocco).
More information here: Ferry France to Morocco.
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Ferry From Gibraltar
Ferries go from Gibraltar to Tangier (Morocco) twice a week and the trip takes 80 minutes.
Ferry From Italy
Ferries go from Genoa (Italy) to Tangier (Morocco). The trip lasts 48 hours and the ferries go about every six days.
More information here: Ferry Italy to Morocco.
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Travelling in Morocco
Morocco By Train
Trains in Morocco are among the best in Africa; fares are cheap and there are plenty of high-speed, air-conditioned trains available. Trains travel between Tangier, Meknes, Fez, Oujda, Rabat, Casablanca and Marrakech. The Moroccan national train service ONCF website (French): www.oncf.ma
There are overnight train services available between Tangier and Marrakech. They depart Tangier at 11 pm every night.
How do I travel around Morocco by train? |
This is probably all the info on trains in Morocco you'll ever need:
Railway map and timetable | Destinations | Stations | Tickets | Fares | Train passes and reductions | Reservations | Luggage | Service on board trains | Train etiquette | Safety | Night trains | Airport Express | International trains
Checkout the TrioTours website: AFRICA FAQ's |
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Morocco by Bus
There are three national bus companies that operate between most major towns and cities in Morocco. They are Supratours, CTM and SATAS. Morocco's rail network doesn't extend to some popular destinations like Agadir and Essaouira so the bus service is fairly essential. Long-distance buses are comfortable and usually air-conditioned and you can buy your tickets at the bus depot. Supratours buses are handy if you are traveling onward by train since it is run by the same company. They stop at every train station.
How do I travel around Morocco by bus? |
This is probably all the info on bus travel in Morocco you'll ever need:
Bus companies | Terminals | Destinations and timetables | Overnight services | Buying tickets | Fares | Luggage | Boarding | During your trip | City buses | International bus services
Checkout the TrioTours website: AFRICA FAQ's |
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Taxis
You'll usually see two types of taxis in most major Moroccan cities, 'big taxis' (grand taxis) and 'small taxis' (petit taxis). The grand taxis are shared taxis and will cover longer distances. The petit taxis work like regular taxis everywhere. If the meter doesn't work, negotiate your fare in advance.
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Car Hire
For surfers wanting to hire a car, you can now book a rental car online with Zoco Boardriding & Euro Car it's quick, easy and above all, super cheap. Our CarTrawler booking engine will crawl the web to find competitive car hire rates in Morocco. You can reserve your car right here online in just 3 easy steps...
Click here to get started: Get a quote for car hire in Morocco
Our online rates include: Collision damage waiver, Theft protection, Third party liability insurance, tax (VAT), unlimited mileage and location/airport fees.
Price guide 1 week rental
Ford Ka, Peugeot 106, Renault Twingo or similiar
7 days: € 219 | £ 149
Peugeot 206 3/5dr, Renault Clio 3/5dr, Volkswagen Polo 3/5 dr or similar
7 days: € 273 | £ 187
Opel Corsa 3/5 dr, Toyota Yaris, Fiat Punto or similar
7 days: € 277 | £ 189
Opel Corsa 5dr, Peugeot 206 5dr, Volkswagen Polo 5dr, Citroen C3 or similar
7 days: € 317 | £ 217
Volkswagen Golf 5dr, Ford Focus, Opel Astra, Renault Megane or similar
7 days: € 431 | £ 294
Nissan Primera, Volkswagen Passat 1.8, Renault Scenic, Honda Accord 1.8 or similar
7 days: € 602 | £ 411
Honda Legend, BMW 3 Series, Citroen C5 (all automatic) or similiar
7 days: € 957 | £ 654
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Bringing your own car to Morocco
Renting a car in Morocco is not cheap, so if you're from Europe, it may be worth driving your own car to Morocco. See the ferry section of this article for information about crossing from Europe to Morocco. European rental companies will not allow you to take their cars in to Morocco so this is not an option. The roads in Morocco are quite good but be aware that the distances between major towns can be significant.
More information here: bringing your own car to Morocco.
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Tips for flying to Morocco for US citizens
Source: Anouk Zijlma About.com (abridged)
Here are a few tips to get a cheap flight to Africa and still find a seat:
Book in Advance
Book your flight at least two months in advance especially if you are planning to travel around Christmas. Flights fill up very quickly because they are relatively limited compared to many other world destinations. This is especially the case for African countries with small tourist industries.
Fly via Europe
Ask your travel agent to look into flights from Europe to Africa (especially Amsterdam and Paris) and then add on a flight from the US.
This can work very well during the off-season when flights between Europe and the US are very inexpensive (November to mid-December and January to March).
Flights via London used to be cheap, but a recent hike in airport taxes mean that savings aren't great anymore.
You can still book and price flights from the UK to many destinations in Africa using an online booking engine. Flight Centre UK is one I can recommend, it is easy to use and their prices look very reasonable. You can also use cheaptickets.com and plug in your whole itinerary, it will piece together flights via Europe for you.
Ex-Colonies = More Options
If you are flying via Europe, think ex-colonies to get the most flight options. If you are looking for a flight to a West African country, use Paris as your hub. For East and Southern Africa most flights will go in and out of London.
Use Regional Hubs
For West Africa, Ghana is a good country to head to first. There are direct flights to Ghana from the US and once you're in Accra, you can head to your destination by land or use one of the many regional flights.
For North Africa, direct flights from the US to Morocco and Egypt shouldn't set you back more than $800 - $1000.
Use an Experienced Travel Agent
Book with an agency that specializes in international flights or adventure travel. Adventure travel agencies will always know where Addis Ababa is. A good online source is BootsnAll Travel, they have airline deals per destination city in Africa.
Direct Flights
Direct flights from the US to Africa are usually more expensive than those via Europe just because you have far fewer flights and they fill up more quickly. A few examples of direct flights include:
Royal Air Moroc flies direct to Casablanca from New York.
Use Your Frequent Flier Miles
If you have miles on any airline you should be able to use them for at least part of your ticket to Africa. Even if your airline doesn't fly direct to Africa, codeshare agreements may allow you to use miles on different airlines, or you can at least use your miles to get to Europe and book a cheaper flight from there.
Source: Anouk Zijlma About.com (abridged)
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GREENSEAT - CARBON NEUTRAL* FLIGHTS
Zoco supports the efforts made by GreenSeat, and ask you to do the same. We realize that surfers, windsurfers and kitesurfers all do far more travelling by air than your average person. The surf trip is an integral part of the boardriding lifestyle and this is why we encourage you to compensate for the emissions related to your flight by making yours a GreenSeat.
*Carbon neutral means that, for each flight, enough trees are planted to ensure that the net effect on the atmosphere is zero, or as close to it as possible.
More information | Click here to compensate |
